The war in Ukraine is an all-encompassing catastrophe. Thousands of soldiers and civilians have already been killed and millions have fled. They do not know if they will ever be able to return to their homeland, and if so, in what condition they will find villages and towns.
Cities like Lviv in the west of the country, whose old town is a World Heritage Site; Odessa, the pearl on the Black Sea with an important port and Mediterranean quality of life, and the metropolis of Kyiv, whose roots go back to the 6th century and which was a vibrant, open European capital until the beginning of the war.
Ukraine: destroyed cities, lost homeland
All three cities are expected to face heavy attacks by the Russian army. Like Kharkiv in the east and Mariupol in the south of the country, these cities are threatened with extensive destruction, the devastation of modern parts of the city and buildings as well as historical quarters and monuments. For many millions of Ukrainians, this would mean the loss of their homeland.
A look at city views that could soon be irretrievably lost.